Wichita eagle., 1887-12-30
THE DEVILS BACKBONE.


standing before her doorway: "Thar's
that hotel boarGern -
Thereupon dark, athletic formed, well
dressed man, followed by a boorish girl,
stepped from the door into the yard.
Don't tell me that woman Is half dead
with consumption continued Mrs. Der
rick, following the figure on the dark hill
with her eyes 'sWhy. she can ont trayse
that fool Englishman down at Ccrdoban
Ranch. And what IS il all fur Stands
To reason that the Englishman may 20
after deer, turkeys and ducks, but she is
climbin' rocG and wearin out shoe leather
jess 10 g3peat nGthInf
The dark faced man had put up a field
glass, and through il had kept his eyes
steady fixed on the woman with the red
shawl
The efTI. Molly Derrick, was gazing,
too, with something like animation II her
stupid face till, set upon by her shrewisn
mother, she was forced to leave off and
bring fagocs 10 cook the supper
When Molly had finished piling up
sticks and cedar chips, she fingered about
the dark faced man, and presently asked:
What do she pear to be doin ROW,
Joe?''
Sitting or a rock by the cross, with &
handkerchief to her mouth" answered
Joe, in English, which had a marked
Spanish accent
"Humph! l know what that means
'Whatg'' said Joe, still not turning from
the spyelass.
'Spittin' up blood said Molly, ''and
lookin' of thar at the Devil 5 Backbone"
Dim night settled on the hills; Mrs.
Derricks camp fire reflected q broad,
warm glory. The cabin lay in the pre-
cincts Of it, as did the clumps of ccdars
that were now exhaliDg odorous balms on
the night air; presently the woman with
the red shawl glided into the circle of "a
diance. She had come down from the
mountain height with limbs chill and lag
ging. Not waiting for an invitation, she
moved weariiy toward the fire, Mrs.
Derrick roughly showed at the intruder
pine box for q seat, then went on sto0p-
ing above a frying pan and scolding
Molly. The latter, leaving off all culin-
AIRY cooperation was fixed with her Stra-
bismic gaze now on the Strangers rich
petticoats torn by chGparral and dragged
with dew, and now on the wearer's white
face moody and saturnine.
The bright shawl fell from the wcmans
shoulder; STOPPING carelessly forward, q
dark Cased, slender figure, she sat with
thin fingers clasped, and CaUnt, naughty
young eyes gloWering hither and thither.
Presently those restless eyes fell on Indian
Joe squatting on the grass against a
cedar. and ne trembied SO violently before
that boldly searching insOlently beautiful
gaze, he needed to put down the tin cup
from his hand lest he should have split
the pint of hot coffee on a Derrick brat
that sprawlcd qt his feet.
Mrs. Derrick disapproved no little of
this fine stranger, and, half an hour later,
when the guest, refreshed by Derrick's
venis0n and goat milk, had walked away
into the bushes and darkness, nonchalantly
a. she came, Mrs. Derrick fell 10 abusing
her with malice worthy the ingenuity of
a more civilized sister. Calls herself
Miss Lucia World HoW's anybody TO
know if that is her shore-nuf namcs"
For her part, Mrs. Derrick believed darkIy
in an alias connected with the case.
After Mrs. Derrick had retired in hec
cabin for the night she heard voice, thai
she recognized as Bobby Winters, talk
ing in an unmistakable tone Of excite
meut, with Indian Joe outside by the
camp fire.
Sensations were rare in these bucolic
>
robbery and murder, corpseS and teams
tumbled into the gorEes from the sleepy
cliffs of the Devils Backbore-but that
was comparatively far or. This was bet
ter-ths was nearcr-So Mrs Derrick
hoped. She caught fragment Of Bobby's
story;
Pa can't do nothin'; Jess chaws TO-
bacco and spits hard Is lie can. fur all
the world lac he did when Billy got snake
bit. she said you could do something.
Ma amt got time.
No. " thought Mrs. Derrick. in a men
tai aside. If all creation WIS alire yer ma
would go on washing dishes and gettin
ready for stopperS.' But the voices were
gone. Mrs. Derrick hurricdly awakened
old Derrick, who. bCinE already cudUeJ
with all the clothes he possessed, had only
to rub his eyes and rush out after the van
ishing Bobby and Indian Joe Mrs. Der
ricl. would fain have followed, had not her
lord left behind HIM an oath and admoni-
ton effective in deterring her
Nv no is she:' Mrs. Derrick wondering
u asked herself Bet its thar Lucia
World How did she know what Joe
could do. and never sot eyes on him TIL
to-uiGhts''
When Indian Joe crossed the threshold
at Winters he was again seized with a
violent tremor. On the long board coun-
ter OF the store. 90 barroo;A, within. lay
The CORY figure of 4 Young man DeWS of /
suffering lay on the face, heaUIlai is
Byron's, and beside it sat Lucia World
Indian Joe put aside his weakness quickly .
aS it had sprung. walked forward. found
that there vRS a broken arr 20 he set.
threaded a needle ana proceeded 10 sew .
up ghuoJly C;.g whitn LuCia World was (
StIuch.uS about the strangers head.
In the kitchen Mrs Winter was saving:
"Cc~dubau' Ranch ain - f9r off. why
don't he send there for his wife 10 come
nuSs bims bs fCv that hoarJer. "A flvin
out ~ rs all bout doin' nothing for the
EuElishmsn. If size wants il done. let her
tend h,U herSelf-rc-k stranger IS he -
10 her. | amt no Use far lie man nc
wav> Cctr'0' throwed of his hoSS right at .
the door >tl& OF Goiac oB fuIder d2~n the
creek, and he thinks Tins o,uAtry made
Jrs1 purpose for him 20 hunt in. H..
H.
4 woman was weary OF waiting on the
mountain rop. She yawucl sand IDLY
scratched her name on the stone cross. set .
there 10y P}ucl,y JesuiI fathers IN tAeearIy
tiIac. then. once more with a field glass )
she swept. the lowering horizon AMI I'll
the vaaey. There was, n, black Gland in .
The Wtse; there was charcoal wagon s
with is teams Of oxen creeping along The
far off ridge; but there was nouCAt sho
looked for moving or stationary, M thu
open clearing at the base of the Devils
Backb bone.
According 10 prearranSement. Molly
Na,.-IYl- had hy,s57ailr ri - field .rl..- \I,x
10 her Miss World yislued it, with the In
junction that Molly should keep look
~. L.. ....--.-r.A- II Tie enu-L- anG rns